South Korea | intelNews.org

News you may have missed #0106

September 15, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

North Korean succession rumor mill now silent. Rumors circulated last summer by South Korean intelligence sources, that Kim Jong Il was on his deathbed and was about to be replaced with his son, Kim Jong Un, have gone quiet, after the health of the “Great Leader” appears to have miraculously improved. Some now believe Pyongyang may have deliberately fed those rumors to discern reactions among senior North Korean officials in Kim John Il’s circle.
UK government issues apology for treatment of gay cryptanalyst after 57 years. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he is sorry for the “appalling” way World War II code-breaker Alan Turing was treated by British authorities for being gay. In 1952, Turing was prosecuted for gross indecency after admitting a sexual relationship with a man. Two years later, he killed himself. He is most famous for his code-breaking work at Bletchley Park, also known as Station X, during WWII, where he helped create the Bombe that cracked messages enciphered with the German Enigma machines.
Ex-chief of Greek secret services to stand for far-right party. Yannis Korantis, who was axed two months ago from his post as chief of Greece’s State Intelligence Service (EYP), said he will stand for extreme-right party LAOS in next month’s parliamentary elections. Notorious neo-Nazi Dimitris Zafeiropoulos, who recently joined LAOS, said he would also stand for the party in Patras, in the northern Peloponnese. LAOS entered parliament for the first time in 2007, with 3.8 percent of votes and 10 parliamentarians.

UK government issues apology for treatment of gay cryptanalyst after 57 years.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Alan Turing, Bletchley Park, cryptology, Enigma, EYP (Greece), Germany, Greece, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, LAOS (Greece), News, news you may have missed, North Korea, South Korea, State Intelligence Service (Greece), Station X, UK, World War II, Yannis Korantis

CIA deployed agents disguised as journalists, says ex-NSA analyst

September 4, 2009 by intelNews 1 Comment

Wayne Madsen

By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
Former NSA analyst and US Navy intelligence officer Wayne Madsen has said that the CIA deployed at least two operatives posing as journalists in several world hotspots after 9/11. The two operatives, both US Special Forces veterans, were subcontracted to the CIA by private mercenary company Blackwater, and were accredited as journalists by Korean-owned United Press International (UPI). Madsen, who authors the daily Wayne Madsen Report, says the two operatives were active in Uzbekistan shortly after 9/11. One of them secured a travel visa to enter Iran in 2003, where he allegedly “engaged in target analysis and spotting for a planned US attack on Iran” (this was presumably before Washington decided to axe the rumored plan to launch a direct military attack on Iran in favor of an intensive plan of covert sabotage, as detailed by The New York Times last January). Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Afghanistan, Blackwater, CIA, intelligence covers, intelligence outsourcing, Iran, Iraq, News, North-West Frontier Province (Pakistan), Pakistan, South Korea, United Press International, United States, US Special Forces, Uzbekistan, Wayne Madsen

News you may have missed #0090

September 1, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

CIA’s black sites, illuminated. The Los Angeles Times‘ Greg Miller provides a summary account of the descriptions of CIA secret prisons provided in the recently declassified CIA documents.
Russian agents try to influence Czech politicians, says intelligence report. BIS, the Czech counterintelligence service, has declassified a 2008 report stating that Russian intelligence agents in the country, such as the ones expelled earlier this month, “try to establish contacts with members of [the Czech] parliament, their assistants and employees of political parties’ foreign relations departments”.
South Korean arrested for collaborating with North Korean spy. The man, identified only as Kim, supplied travel documents, maps, and other information to a North Korean operative in Indonesia. South Korean intelligence sources may have leaked this case in order to sabotage the current thaw in North-South relations.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with CIA, Czech Republic, Czech Security Information Service (BIS), declassification, espionage, Indonesia, News, news you may have missed, North Korea, Russia, secret prisons, South Korea, Southeast Asia

News you may have missed #0076

August 24, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Revealing CIA report published today. The CIA is expected to come under some of its toughest scrutiny for years, after the publication today of a report detailing the agency’s use of mock executions, and the threatening of detainees with power drills and guns during interrogations.
North Korean spy director meets South Korean officials. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met a delegation of visiting North Korean officials on Sunday, including Kim Yang Gon who heads the United Front Department (UFD), an intelligence agency under the Korean Worker’s Party (KWP) of the DPRK.
Changes imminent at South African spy agency. The administration of President Jacob Zuma intends to move to restructure South Africa’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the country’s primary domestic spy organization. In July, a former member of South Africa’s ministerial Review Commission on Intelligence warned that a steadily declining culture of accountability in the country’s spy services is threatening the country’s constitutional order.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with CIA, intelligence reform, Kim Yang Gon, Korean Workers' Party (North Korea), Lee Myung-bak, National Intelligence Agency (South Africa), News, news you may have missed, North Korea, South Africa, South Korea, torture, United Front Department (North Korea), United States, War on Terrorism

News you may have missed #0059

August 6, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Torture report says UK government ministers shielded MI5, MI6. A new report from Britain’s parliamentary human rights committee accuses senior cabinet ministers of “hiding behind a wall of secrecy” to avoid being held to account over allegations of British intelligence agents’ collusion in torture.
US cyber czar resigns. Senior intelligence official Melissa Hathaway, who was US President Barack Obama’s choice to monitor America’s online security, said in an interview that she is leaving “for personal reasons”.
South Korean opposition skeptical of request for new intelligence powers. Opposition parties in South Korea are critical of the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) recent request to gain access to information on financial transactions amounting to 20 million won or more without a warrant.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with cybersecurity, economic espionage, Melissa Hathaway, MI5, MI6, National Intelligence Service (South Korea), News, news you may have missed, South Korea, terrorism, torture, UK, UK House of Commons, United States

News you may have missed #0056

August 4, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

South Korean spy agency seeks increased access to financial intelligence. The National Intelligence Service is pushing for legal revisions that will allow it to access information on financial transactions of over 20 million won (US$16,000) without a warrant. The agency claims the new powers will help track down “terrorism-related funds”.
Nepal to create new spy agency. The Maoist Nepali government is preparing to set up a powerful intelligence body that will be directly accountable to the Prime Minister. IntelNews hears that Indian government advisors are actively involved in setting up the new agency, which will “gather information on foreign intervention in Nepal”.
Peru’s Defense minister denies alleged espionage against Chile. Rafael Rey has denied any participation by Peru’s government in the case of Business Track, a company accused of telephonic and electronic interception to Chilean Army officers.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Chile, communications interception, economic espionage, ELINT, India, National Intelligence Service (South Korea), Nepal, News, news you may have missed, Peru, Rafael Rey, South Korea, telephony, terrorism

Comment: Not So Fast, Cyberwarriors! [updated]

July 14, 2009 by intelNews 2 Comments

Hoekstra

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
Rep. Peter Hoekstra wants to launch a cyberwar against North Korea. The Republican from Michigan, who heads his party’s delegation on the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, urged the US government last Thursday to “launch a cyber attack” or at least increase international sanctions on Pyongyang. Hoekstra urged this in response to a series of mysterious cyber-attacks that paralyzed major South Korean and US government websites for three days earlier this month. And he’s not alone. Last Friday, ABC News technology pundit Michael Malone effectively echoed Hoekstra and warned that “enemies of freedom everywhere” could use cyberterrorism to kill untold numbers of Americans by remotely controlling “fetal monitoring systems, surgical equipment, robotic bomb demolition equipment and ICBMs”. But South Korean cybersecurity specialists, who intensely monitor North Korean information systems, and were the ones who actually informed their US counterparts of the unfolding cyber-attacks on July 4, are not so sure that Pyongyang was behind the attacks. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with cybersecurity, cyberterrorism, cyberwar, Joseph Fitsanakis, Michael Malone, National Intelligence Service (South Korea), North Korea, Pete Hoekstra, South Korea, United States, US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

News you may have missed #0026

July 13, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

US Attorney General considers torture probe. The Associated Press is among several news outlets reporting that Eric Holder is considering the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the use of torture by US intelligence agencies after September of 2001.
Iran’s invisible Nicaraguan embassy. The US State Department has been raising alarm bells about the Iranians supposedly “building a huge embassy in Managua”. But nobody in Nicaragua can find any super-embassy, The Washington Post reports.
Kim Jonh Il likely to die soon, CIA tells S. Korean spy agency. According to South Korean sources, the CIA now believes that Kim Jong-Il’s chances of surviving the next five years are less than 30%. Last June, intelNews relayed reports that Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Il’s third son, appears to be his father’s most likely successor.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with CIA, diplomacy, Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Kim Jong Il, News, news you may have missed, Nicaragua, North Korea, South Korea, torture, United States, US Department of Justice, US Department of State

News you may have missed #0024

July 11, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Guantánamo prisoner asked to spy on homeland radicals. Umar Abdulayev, from Tajikistan, who has been held in Guantánamo for seven years, claims in court filings that he was visited by Tajik intelligence agents in Guantánamo, who asked him to spy on Tajik Muslim radicals in exchange for his release. Abdulayev has refused the offer and has asked for asylum at a third country.
We were not hacked, says NZ spy agency. A New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) spokesman has denied the agency’s website was hacked on July 9. Those visiting the GCSB website on that day were presented with an error message.
Saudi charity lawyers ask federal judge to outlaw NSA wiretap program. Saudi-based charity Al-Haramain was taken to court in September 2004 by the US government, which accused it of maintaining terrorist links. But its lawyers have managed to reverse the case, and may now be close to getting a US federal judge to rule against warrantless NSA wiretapping.
Cyber attacks came from 16 countries. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) officials have disclosed that the cyberattacks that paralyzed major South Korean websites last weekend were mounted from at least 16 different countries. Earlier this week, NIS said it believed North Korea or pro-Pyongyang forces were behind the attacks, which also affected US government websites.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Al-Haramain, communications interception, computer hacking, cyberwar, GCSB (New Zealand), Government Communications Security Bureau (New Zealand), Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp, informants, Internet, National Intelligence Service (South Korea), News, news you may have missed, North Korea, NSA, South Korea, Tajikistan, Umar Abdulayev, warrantless communications interception

News you may have missed #0023

July 10, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Spies target Swiss banks for the secrets they hold. Jürg Bühler, acting director of Switzerland’s counter-intelligence agency, says foreign services are increasingly interested in the financial data locked in Swiss banks, especially as the global hunt for undeclared assets stiffens.
South Korea says North was behind cyberattacks on S. Korean, US web sites. South Korean intelligence officials say they believe North Korea or pro-Pyongyang forces committed cyberattacks that paralyzed major South Korean and US government websites last weekend.
British MP accuses government of outsourcing torture. Britain’s former shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, has accused British intelligence services of “outsourcing torture”. He was commenting in the case of Rangzieb Ahmed, who claimed he was offered bribes to drop allegations that he was tortured in Pakistan, while on British custody.
Philippines President to meet CIA chief. Leon Panetta will be meeting Glorya Arroyo next week in Manila, “to discuss security concerns and to map out ways to further strengthen the bilateral partnership between the Philippines and United States”.
Former Turkey intelligence head questioned over alleged coup. The court case concerns Ergenekon, a shadowy ultranationalist network with strong links to the Turkish armed forces, which has reportedly been trying to stage a coup in Ankara.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with CIA, cyberwar, DAP (Switzerland), David Davis, economic espionage, Ergenekon, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Leon Panetta, MI6, News, news you may have missed, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Rangzieb Ahmed, Service for Analysis and Prevention (Switzerland), South Korea, Switzerland, torture, Turkey, United States

North Korean ex-spy meets Japanese abductee’s family

March 12, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Kim Hyun-Hee

By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
Relatives of a Japanese citizen abducted thirty years ago by North Korean agents have held a meeting with a North Korean former spy, who told them their relative is still alive. Yaeko Taguchi was among 17 Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean intelligence operatives in the 1970s and 1980s, and forced to familiarize North Koran spies with Japanese language and culture. The North Korean government, which has admitted conducting 13 of the 17 kidnappings, claims that Taguchi was killed in a car accident in 1986. But on Wednesday, Kim Hyun-Hee, a North Korean former spy who now lives in South Korea, told Taguchi’s son and brother that Taguchi was “her language tutor at a spy school in the North” and that she believes the Japanese woman is still alive. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with abductions, Busan (South Korea), Japan, Kim Hyun-Hee, Kim Jong Il, Kim Sung Il, Korean Air Lines, Korean Air Lines Flight 858 bombing, News, North Korea, South Korea, Yaeko Taguchi

South Korea military intelligence caught spying on citizens

February 2, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Yongsan

By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
Since last December, a residential building scheduled for redevelopment in the Yongsan district of South Korean capital Seoul had been the site of a mass occupation campaign. Dozens of protesters, all building residents, were refusing to leave unless they were offered improved compensation and relocation packages. On January 20, however, Seoul’s riot police and SWAT units stormed the building using tear gas and water cannons. During the operation, parts of the building were engulfed in a huge blaze, which caused the deaths of five protestors and one police officer, and injured 23 people, one of whom is reportedly in a coma. On the evening of Saturday, January 31, protestors who had gathered in and around Seoul’s Myeongdong Cathedral for a candlelight memorial service for the victims of the fire spotted a group of plainclothes military intelligence officers with South Korea’s Capital Defense Command (CDC) clandestinely observing the vigil. The six-member group appeared to be directed by a number of commanding officers who were also in the proximity of the vigil, though detached from the crowd. Organizers of the vigil isolated the six intelligence officers and proceeded to search them, but discovered no surveillance equipment. Witnesses said, however, that one of the intelligence officers appeared to be reporting on the movements of vigil participants on his cell phone. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with CDC (South Korea), domestic intelligence, military intelligence, News, Seoul, South Korea, South Korean Army, Yongsan (South Korea)

North Korea accuses South of assassination plot against Kim Jong Il

December 18, 2008 by intelNews Leave a comment

The Ministry of State Security of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) has issued a statement reporting the arrest of a North Korean citizen allegedly tasked with assassinating the country’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Il. The statement accuses the Republic of Korea (South Korea) of supplying the alleged assassin, whose last name is Ri, with sophisticated “speech and acoustic sensing and pursuit devices for tracking the movement of the top leader and even violent poison in the end”. It said that Ri was arrested while “gathering information about [Kim Jong Il’s] movements”. The government of the Republic of Korea has not commented on the allegations. The National Intelligence Service, South Korea’s primary intelligence organization, has said “it [is] checking the claim”. [IA]